Halloween How To...

Considering making your own Halloween costume this year? Get creative and use whatever you have in your closet or get a few of these items from the thrift shop. Using your imagination and putting different items together is a little more thrilling than tossing a sheet over your head. Here are a few easy-to-do costumes/hair/makeup that we love this season. Hope these inspire you! - Your Shear Style Team

Retinol Magic

Highest Over-The-Counter Retinol Concentration 

Trying to fight signs of ageing? What about blemish scaring or uneven skin tone? If you haven't already heard of the benefits of Retinol than let us at Shear Style tell you!

What It Is...

Retinoic acid is known to plump wrinkles, release collagen and battle sun damage and the breakdown of collagen.

How Fast It Works...

After 4-8 weeks of daily application (preferably at night, as intensity degrades in the light), skin will appear less wrinkled and more even-toned, however 2-6 months is your goal with upkeep!  www.besthealthmag.ca quote's Dr. Alastair Carruthers, a Vancouver dermatologist saying... 

"This is a lifetime commitment; if you stop, age spots usually re-appear within weeks and wrinkles deepen again." 

The Side Effects...

Irritation, peeling, dryness and redness are common in first- time users. 

Where You Can Get It...

Many cosmetic skincare lines offer anti-aging creams containing retinol. Ask a skincare specialist in your local beauty department for more information.

Helpful hint : Product Packaging Matters

• "Because retinol degrades with exposure to light and air, you should choose one with packaging that blocks out both. One-dose capsules that you apply to skin, such as Philosophy Booster Caps ($50 for 60) or products packaged in aluminum, like Vichy Liftactiv Retinol HA ($49, 30 mL), or in opaque glass bottles, like RoC Retin-Ox Wrinkle Correxion Intensive Anti-Wrinkle Serum ($50, 30 mL) or a three-layer tube under a nitrogen blanket protects the retinol in Olay Professional Pro-X Deep Wrinkle Treatment ($55, 30 mL)."

Helpful hint : Highest Concentration Product

• "SkinCeuticals (available through skincare professionals) Retinol 1.0 Maximum Strength Refining Night Cream ($56, 30 mL) contains 1.0%—uniquely, that’s printed right on the package.

One percent is also the highest amount of retinol allowed by Health Canada for over-the-counter products.

• Canadian brands Alyria (sold at physicians’ offices) and drugstore brand Dermaglow Nuvectin Retinol-Px face cream ($75, 45 mL) contains 0.15% retinol. Alyria Retinol Night Complex 1 ($50, 30 g) contains 0.15%, while Night Complex 2 ($60, 30 g) is stronger, at 0.30%.

RoC, L’Oréal Paris, and Vichy do not have any mention of concentration and refuse to release any such information.

Your True Colours | Hair Chalking How-To

Are you familiar with the latest trend in hair today? "Hair Chalking" has been around for a little while now and it’s a fun way to temporarily add color to your locks.

Create the look without commitment.

There are several things you need to know before you go Picasso. So, from our salon mirror to yours, here are the Shear Style tips…

 

What You’ll Need…


1 soft pastel chalk set ($5 or under at your local craft store)


1 spray bottle (filled with water)

1 
A flat iron/curling iron


Rubber gloves


An old towel/shirt

How You’ll Get The Look...

Step 1: Spray about a 1-inch section from the tip of your hair with water. The wet section is the section where the colour will be released.

*** If you’re blonde or you have blonde tips, DO NOT wet your hair before chalking. I will stain if you do because adding water to pure pigment creates a real dye.***

Step 2: Twist the hair and begin to chalk as you do so. The texture from twisting makes the chalk release more pigment.

Start with the lightest shade first, since, as you can see, the color gets all over your gloves and you'll end up with a muddied version of the same hue throughout if you go dark to light.

Step 3: Wait for your hair to air dry.

Step 4: Using the curling or flat iron, go over each colored strand. This sets the colors in your hair, so it will last longer.

Step 5: Then brush out excess and style away!

***If your not wanting to the colour to last over a day skip Step 4***

Getting Chalk Out

Shampoo regularly. A conditioning treatment is strongly recommended to replenish the moisture the chalk has dried out.

Now get going and show your true colours this summer 2012! Here are some great looks...

Hair how to: ethereal, fluffy curls.

Against the delicate features of golden haired Lily Hart, these soft, brushed out curls have an ethereal aura. Straight on top, then bursting out voluminously on the sides, it’s a style that also oozes soft 70s glamour if paired with some metallic eyeshadow and a retro-inspired frock. To create the look for yourself, follow this how-to guide:

Section off the hair by dividing it into half and pinning with sectioning clips. Starting at the back, take horizontal partings and use a small curling iron to curl each under into a tight curl.








Continue taking horizontal parting, curling hair all the way up the back of the head. Once you've curled up to the ear section, follow the partings from the back of the head to the front hair line.

At the front hairline, keep curling hair back from the face as this will give you more width and create a softer look for most face shapes.

As you get high on the head (i.e. the top layers of hair) start dragging the curls. This will create a build up of weight for the curls and have a flatness to the top of the head. You can drag the curls down to either eye level or ear level depending on where you want the volume to start from.

Once you’ve curled all the hair, get a brush (a soft cushion brush works best) and softly brush out the curls. Using your fingers and the brush, adjust the width and shape of the hair.

Once you’re happy with the desired shape, spray the hair in place with some hair spray.

How Hot Should Water Be to Clean Hair?

Use Hot Water For A Deep Cleaning

• Hot water breaks up oil and product build-up on hair

  Using hot water--as hot as is comfortable--will open pores and break up oils near the scalp. The warmer the water, the more oils will break down and be carried away with a rinse. If the hair has extra product or oil on it, hotter water may be the best choice for a thorough cleaning.

Too Much Hot Water Can Be Harmful

• The ends of long hair need protection from heat

  Using hot water on a regular basis is generally not recommended. If too much of the natural oil is stripped away, then the skin of the scalp could become dry. Also, too much heat--whether from hot water, hot curlers or hair dryers--will eventually cause damage to the individual hairs, causing breaks and split ends. This is a greater concern for those with long hair that is not trimmed as often.

Bottom Line

• The temperature used at most salons for shampooing is lukewarm to warm. For everyday washing--or every other day, as some recommend for preserving natural oils--warm water allows much of the dirt and oils to be carried away, without adding enough heat to dry out the scalp or damage the hair. For extra shine, follow with a cool-water rinse to "lock in" moisture from conditioner and close up hair follicles on the scalp.

Source: Ehow Style